Hollywood has been rocked by allegations against Mr Weinstein, with a large number of women coming forward to say they were sexually harassed or assaulted by the film mogul.

Last week, Mr Weinstein was arrested and charged with rape, a criminal sex act, sex abuse, and sexual misconduct. The charges relate to incidents involving two women: one identified by her lawyer as the former actress Lucia Evans; the other unnamed.

These are the first criminal charges to be brought against Mr Weinstein, who denies non-consensual sex and is expected to plead not guilty.

'Horror film with a sexual aggressor'

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Media captionHarvey Weinstein is led away from the police station in handcuffs

De Palma said that the script, which he has been discussing with a French producer, would aim to tackle such abuse in the industry "although my character will not be called Harvey Weinstein".

"But it is a horror film, with a sexual aggressor, and the story will take place within the film industry," he told French newspaper Le Parisien.

De Palma also said that the #MeToo movement, the campaign against sexual harassment and abuse, could fundamentally change the subjects of movies and how they are produced.

"It will be interesting to see when women start controlling the aesthetic, what is going to happen," he said.

"It would be interesting to see if their gaze is so much different than ours. Because a lot of movies are about the male gaze, what the male sees."